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Crock Pot Rice is a time saver. You set it and forget it for an easy side dish. Make a large batch and store in the freezer for a staple side for any meal.
Crock pot rice is a family favorite and one of my favorite ways to save money. It is a great way to enjoy an easy but delicious gluten free side dish. I can cook an entire pound or two of rice in 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours without ever having to look at the pan.
Sure, cooking rice on the stove is easy, but you have to keep watching it, stirring it, and making sure you don’t burn the bottom of the rice. Make sure you check out all my Crock Pot recipes here.
If you love rice, as much as my family, make sure to check out these other easy rice recipes, Easy Spanish Rice Recipe, Basmati Rice Recipe, Stick of Butter Rice, Dirty Rice Recipe, and easy Fried Rice Recipe.
What's in this post: Crock Pot Rice
Why We Love This Recipe
Cooking rice in the slow cooker is similar to cooking it in a rice cooker. Following these easy steps with minimal effort allows you to cook the best rice with amazing texture.
You can easily add in spices or fresh herbs such as thyme to change the flavor. Make this budget friendly side with any meal.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
Seasoning Variations
You can season it however you want, but I wanted to give you a few ideas to make your slow cooker rice even tastier.
- Chicken broth will instantly give you more flavor in your rice.
- Stir in Garlic Salt – Garlic will jazz up any plain rice.
- Add Butter – Throw in 2-3 tablespoons of butter when cooking the rice for a buttery flavor.
- Stir in Parmesan Cheese – When the rice is finished, add in salt and parmesan cheese. Grated parmesan cheese will melt more smoothly and will make an amazing flavor.
- Mix in Salsa and ground cumin for a Spanish rice.
- Sprinkle in some soy sauce when the rice is finished.
- Stir in shredded cheddar cheese and milk when the rice is cooked for cheesy rice.
- More Ideas – See How to Season White Rice for more ideas.
How to Cook Rice in a Crock Pot
- Step 1 – Rinse the rice with cold water to remove excess starch. Then add the rice in the slow cooker. Pour salt and water over the rice in your crockpot.
- Step 2 – You can do 2-4 cups of rice. 4 cups of rice is an entire 1 lb package so that is what I always do.
- Step 3 – Cook on high heat for 1 ½ to 2½ hours for white rice.
- Step 4 – Fluff with a fork and serve or freeze.
Recipe Tips
- Adding Water – You will want to make sure you have double the water than you do rice. So if you are cooking 2 cups of rice, use 4 cups of water. If you cook 4 cups of rice, you will need 8 cups of water (at least). I always add in a bit more.
- Mushy Rice – Make sure to add the right amount of water. It is best to make sure to wash the rice before placing in the slow cooker.
- Hard Rice – If your rice turns out hard, it could be that not enough water was added to the slow cooker. It also could meat that your slow cooker is set to high or it has not cooked long enough. You can add a little more water and continue cooking to soften the rice.
Serving Suggestions
Long grain rice makes the perfect side dish for any occasion. It is budge friendly and easy to make with these simple steps. We love to serve with Grilling Recipes and Stove Top Recipes.
These are some of our favorite Main Dish Recipes to Serve with Slow Cooker Rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and it is my favorite way to cook rice. This is the easiest way to make rice and I guarantee it will turn out fluffy every time.
Store the fluffy white rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover rice will last about 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.
Then what I do, is divide that crock pot rice into equal containers to freeze. It is the best idea and a must try if you want to save time and money.
It is really so easy to freeze rice. I then can pop my frozen rice in to the microwave for my own cheaper (or free) minute rice. Make sure you read my post on how to freeze rice.
Slow cooker rice is easy to make with any long-grain of rice. Brown Rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice or white rice all very easy to make in the slow cooker.
The type of rice does not change much to the recipe. You will still do the same amount of rice per liquid ratio, but the cooking time will increase.
Brown rice takes about 3 hours to cook on high.
More Easy Crock Pot Side Dishes
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Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
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Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes
Recipe by Cooking Method
Crock Pot Corn on the Cob
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29 Easy Crockpot Side Dishes
We love this recipe. If you try making this crock pot rice recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Crock Pot Rice
Instructions
- Place the rice on the bottom of the crockpot and season with the salt.
- Pour water over the rice. (You want double the water as rice, so if you have 2 cups of rice, you will need 4 cups of water).
- Cook on high for 1 ½ to 2½ hours for white rice.
- Fluff with a fork and serve or freeze.
1.5 – 2.5 hours is a huge spread. Is it OK to take off the lid to check the rice periodically?? (I frequently make steamed rice on the stovetop and opening the lid to check the rice is verboten.) Excited to try this recipe – we’ve had a spell of blazing hot weather and it has been 80+ degrees *inside* my house for over a week. Needless to say I’m avoiding the stove, but thanks to a conveniently located outdoor outlet I can use the crockpot outside, so this means rice is back on the menu, yay!
Hey Jennifer! This is a big range on the cooking time as each crock pot cooks differently. If your crock pot has a clear lid, check it once all the lid in the crock pot has appeared to be absorbed by the rice. It’s ok to open the lid at the time, you just don’t want to open it a lot during the cook time or it will cool down the crock pot too much. I hope you get cooler weather soon!
Just a question. Can the rice be cooked on low & for how long?
I don’t recommend cooking rice on low in the crock pot.
I’m going to try it!
My rice cooker just doesn’t cook it right anymore and it’s always sticky, even with rinsing and using oil and salt. I’m batching for Sweet & Sour Chicken for dinner tonight and then Veggie Fried Rice over the weekend so I’m cooking it in 2/3 Soy Ginger Ramen broth and the rest water. I really hopes that it turns out and not too gummy from any sugars in the broth or extra ginger paste.
Special thanks to all the people who either left a comment and to those, including Carrie, who answered. It’s really nice to know how some people made adjustments based on experience or taste.
Hi. I need to make enough basmati rice for 20 people. How many uncooked cups of rice would I need and what is the maximum amount of cups you could do in one crock pot? Thanks.
I would do 5 cups of rice with 10 cups of water – This amount should fit fine in a 6 or 8 quart crock pot.